Rock review: Metallica, Death Magnetic

If the cringe-inducing, touchy-feely therapy sessions captured in the Metallica documentary Some Kind of Monster were responsible for 2003’s execrable St Anger, you have to wonder what kind of tough love prompted this entirely superior offering. By presumably giving them … Continue reading →

Metallica, Death Magnetic

CD of the week: Death Magnetic is punctuated by the sort of speeds and intensities that hark back to Metallica's thrash metal youth

Leeds festival

Bramham ParkKillers' anthems get the whole field singing says Dave Simpson

Rock review: Slipknot, All Hope Is Gone

Having escaped the horror of nu-metal, Slipknot have quietly (well, you know what I mean) taken their place among metal’s most acclaimed behemoths; the nearest thing today’s world has to Metallica. After myriad troubles, the masked mutant clowns regrouped in … Continue reading →

Overblown, overpaid and over here

It's still all about sex, money and platform boots for Kiss, who headline Download festival. Caroline Sullivan gets more than a handshake from Gene Simmons

Korn

Apollo, Manchester

Serj Tankain, Elect the Dead

The solo set by the System of a Down star is informed by metal and musicals. Ben Thompson doesn't have a problem with that.

Pop preview

Metallica, London | Live Earth, London | Lauryn Hill, On tour

Mayhem, Ordo ad Chao

Few bands are as au fait with the dark side as Norway's metal masters. No wonder they sound like death, writes Chris Campion.

Don’t fear the reaper

Kitty Empire on Entrance | Mastodon | Om | James Blackshaw - the best off-radar albums of 2006.

Mastodon, Blood Mountain

Andy Capper worships at the altar of metal's newest, loudest, heaviest, most unreconstituted act. Now with extra Josh Homme.

Mastodon, Blood Mountain

In their six-year existence, Mastodon have swiftly become “exhibit A” in the case for the defence against the oft-heard accusation that heavy metal is nothing more than cock-rock misogyny and shock-and-awe teen fodder. Not only did they write a concept … Continue reading →